Baby dolphin dies after beachgoers pass it around for selfies

Image from Hernan Coria/Facebook

An endangered baby dolphin died after a mob of tourists in Argentina pulled it out of the water and passed it around for pictures.

A YouTube video shows what happened. Beachgoers at a Buenos Aires resort found the dolphin swimming with another dolphin in shallow water, but instead of pushing them out into deeper water, people chose to pull it out and take selfies with it.

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The dolphin later died, experts say most likely due to dehydration and mishandling.

Ayelen Rodriquez told the Argentinian newspaper Clarin that she tried to tell people to leave the dolphin alone.

Fundación Mundo Marino sent a crew to the beach, but when they got there, the dolphin's body was gone.

A photo of the dead dolphin was posted on Facebook and is causing an international outrage. The NBC affiliate in Oklahoma City reported that several commenters are calling the tourists "morons," "evil," and "a waste of oxygen."

According to the International Union of Conservation of Nature, the Franciscana dolphin, also known as La Plata river dolphin, is considered a vulnerable species. It lives predominantly in coastal Atlantic waters of southeastern South America and is often seen swimming close to shore.